bent down and kissed his head, ruffling his scruff in praise. Then, snagging the blanket from the floor to cover myself, I decided I needed to track down something to wear.
The moment I stepped into the hall, I realized the house was still asleep. One of the guys was snoring. Downstairs, I heard someone moving, but I couldn't be sure who. Still, that was the way to my clothes. The bigger question was if they were laying outside where I'd left them. I doubted it would be that easy.
With the blanket wrapped around my body, clutched before my breasts, I padded into the living room. My eyes were on the back yard, which was why I didn't notice I wasn't alone in the room until the coffee pot sputtered. The sound made me suck in a breath and turn, suddenly feeling guilty.
Seth had his back against the counter, wearing little more than a pair of pajama bottoms. They were black with some cartoon print, and they'd slid down far enough to expose those creases by his hips that I loved so much. I jerked my eyes back up to find him brushing a wayward lock of blonde hair back toward his ponytail as he looked over.
"It's just me," he said, sounding like he hadn't been up much longer than I had. "Your clothes are in the wash. I think the undies might be dry, and I probably have a shirt big enough for you to wear like a dress, if you're interested?"
I nodded, all too aware of what we'd shared last night and just how little I knew this man. "Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks."
He tapped the freshly-brewed cup. "Take this. I'll brew another."
And that was an offer too good to pass up. I found milk in the fridge and sugar beside the Keurig. Those went into it, then I aimed for the cabinet where I was pretty sure they hid the cups. Bingo. Pulling one down, I rummaged just a little more before finding the pods of coffee. After that, I repaid the favor, setting a second cup to brew so Seth wouldn't be out for his kindness.
He came back just as it finished with a large grey tee and a pair of short-like panties, wearing an apologetic expression. "The bra didn't make it into the dryer."
"This is fine," I promised. "I mean, I have nothing left to hide, right?"
He pressed the clothes into my hands. "Elena..." His eyes found mine, proving they were a beautiful cognac color, like dark amber. "I don't really know how I'm supposed to act today."
Looking at the shirt in my hands, I gave up and let go of the blanket. It tumbled to the ground, leaving me naked before him. That wasn't quite what I'd intended. I'd honestly thought it would just sag but stay around me long enough to get the shirt facing the right way!
"Right about now," Seth whispered, "I'm kicking myself for not getting to know you better, sooner." He stood there, so close, breathing just a little too hard, but he never reached for me. "I just thought they were moving too fast. That we, I dunno, needed to cover a few things first." Finally, he let the tips of his fingers caress the line of my arm. "But I couldn't keep my hands off you last night. It's only harder today."
Those words made my pulse flutter, remembering how he'd held me so close to him. The way his whispers had been warm against my ear. How good his hand had felt. We'd shared all of that, but nothing more. It felt like last night had happened in some kind of drunken passion, as if we'd had no control, but that was a lie. I'd wanted it all.
"They made it sound like you were ok with this," I tried to explain, shoving my arms into his shirt so I could quickly pull it over my head.
His eyes followed, watching me hungrily. "I am. God, I'm so ok with it. I'm just more into talking about a few things first, you know? I mean, like condoms and kids. The responsible bits." He shoved a hand over his hair, proving just how awkward the conversation was. More so with me having just stripped before him. "I can't remember the last time I was tested, you know?" he admitted.
"Mine was when I had Gabby." I had to look away, feeling my cheeks getting warmer. "So it's been a while."